1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to razor blade holders and dispensers and more particularly to a razor blade holder and dispenser which includes a resilient cantilever for positioning the blades in alignment with a dispensing slot and which may be molded as a one-piece dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, razor blades are sold to consumers in five-pack cardboard packaging or ten-pack dispensers that are made of multiple parts. To protect the consumer, each blade in the cardboard box is wrapped in an individual paper shell. When a blade is to be used, the package is opened and the blade removed. Blades currently available in dispensers are unshelled which exposes the dangerous edge of the blade as it is dispensed. Other types of five and ten-pack dispensers are made of two-piece plastic boxes with a separate metal leaf spring.
Obviously, it would be advantageous to sell such blades in a simple, inexpensive dispenser which would enable the blades to be slid from the dispenser when needed, with a protective wrap if desired. It would also be desirable if such a dispenser provided means for disposing of razor blades after use. In order to be commercially viable, such a dispenser must be lightweight, easy to use, and inexpensive to produce.
Several types of razor blade dispensers are shown in the prior art. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,783 discloses a utility blade dispenser in which the blades are loaded into a housing on a movable blade carrier. Blades are dispensed through a dispensing slot by means of a finger guide slot. A disposal chamber is formed in the dispenser as new blades are removed and the blade carrier is moved upward. Other dispensers of this type are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,650,433, 4,379,514, 4,789,080, 4,826,042 and D224,290.
Dispensers of this type are not practical for prepackaging small numbers of blades. They are too expensive, too large, and too complicated to be economical to manufacture.
Santo, U.S. Pat. No. 2,641,358 discloses a razor blade dispenser having a compartment for insertion of used blades. A spring is inserted between the bottom of the housing and the blades to push the blades upwardly into alignment with a dispensing slot. Mechanical means is provided for pushing the blades from the dispenser. Used blades are pushed into the housing under the spring through a disposal slot.
This type of dispenser contains numerous loose or moving parts, which increases the cost of the device, and also makes manufacture of the device more complicated. Given the low cost of razor blades, such a device would substantially drive up the cost of selling pre-loaded blades as compared to conventional cardboard packaging.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a razor blade dispenser which may be inexpensively manufactured and thus serve as a cost-effective replacement for conventional cardboard packaging for razor blades. It is a further object to provide such a dispenser with no loose parts, and which includes a blade disposal chamber.